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What do I really need to get started?

Okay, I ordered this book today...[Malcolm Tibbets -the Art of segmented Turning].....most of you know I am fairly well equipped as far as turning goes...........my question .................What is necessary to get started in segmented turning? I have a good miter gauge for my tablesaw ......an Osborne EB-3, miter saws, and I have a disc/belt sander combo........and a Jet 16/32 plus drum sander..........

What about a press for clamping down rings......seems like somewhere in the memory banks I saw someone show a picture of one, but not sure they are necessary? I am a total newbie on segmenting, but I can't stand not making some of the beautiful things possible any longer...........some of you segmenters.....HELP!

Roger sounds like you have most of what you need buy yourself a couple hundred clamps and you should be good to go.
From what i have seen you do you should be ready to turn out some great looking pieces in no time can't wait to see what you do. just start out with a few basic pieces and go from there good luck. You may never go back to regular turning it is just another vortex

Sounds like you have most of the large tools, but a few little things that can be useful are:
Lots of large hose clamps. It is hard to find one over 8 inches, but if they are the same brand, you can connect 2 or more together. Don't get the cheap ones you get at the Borgs. They will strip out. Get quality clamps at a plumbing supply or good hardware store.

Rubber bands. Again, get the good ones. the cheap ones break on the sharp edges of the wood. Rubber bands can substitute for hose clamps on some rings, and are self tightening.

Lots of Glue. Both light and dark. Using the right color makes the seams hide better.

You don't need a press to start, but you may want to build one in the future. To begin, you can glue your rings and press them together on your lathe, using the quill for pressure.

Wax paper to keep your rings from glueing to your bench, but you knew this one.

Possibly some dyed veneer for very thin separator lines between rings/segments.

Patience, because there are a few parts of segmenting that are as exciting as watching glue dry... you know parts like watching glue dry.

Read Malcolm's book, and have it ready as a reference. It is excellent. Good luck!

Roger, I am by no means an authority on segmentation. I have done one segemented bowl...a fairly large one. Did I do everything right? Who knows... But I do have experience with wood. And I do have experience with glue. Simple answer is that if you have a book that tells you what you need to know, and you have glue and hands, you will be just fine. Whenever we got a new guy in the shop that didn't "trust" glue joints (without screws or buscuits or splines or dowels or whatever) we gave him two pieces of wood about the size of your hands. Put glue on them and told him to hold them together for 30 seconds, set it down, and walk away. At the end of the day, we'd tell 'em to break the joint. Fun to watch is all I have to say.

Bottom line is that if you put something like Titebond II on the pieces and hold them in place for a little bit, you'd be hard pressed to get them apart if you wanted to. This, of course, assumes you have good joints. Gaps in joints are a deal breaker. Even end grain glue ups are remarkably strong. Maybe not in the sense of glueing up short pieces end to end and trying to turn a pool cue, but for segmented forms, you get glue joints both horizontally and vertically.

Again, I am far from an expert on segmenting. But in my limited experience with it, and with my knowledge of woodworking, and with your knowledge of woodworking, I feel confident in saying that you already have what you need.

IF, you don't feel like you have the strength, patience, or attention span...yeah, you can't have enough clamps.

That's a cool post Mike.........glue......well, that one is not a problem.......clamps.........well, that one isn't either.......what is that old saying............"he who dies with the most clamps wins" Anyway, I am looking forward to learning this technique and getting good at it. My love of flatwork tools can morph into my turning world with segmentation and I think artistry is in the design of the segments as well as the turning which is I guess the minor part in segmenting.

I plan to utilize some of my wood that has developed checks, etc. and cut boards from logs on my big bandsaw, and from time to time be able to utilize wood that would not be suitable for bowls any longer, but in the smaller pieces can be used for some nice turnings.

I think my biggest challenge will be finding the time to put into a project.......likely starting one will take a few weeks for me to get finished, as I might get an hour or two here and there. we shall see how it goes!

In a way, Roger, an hour or two here, and an hour or two there will work great. That gives you time to do some glueing up and letting it sit and set until you have more time. My thoughts about segmenting have always been that it is easier for the person with flatwork experience that got into turning than vice versa. Segmentation is a wonder blend of the two diverse fields of woodworking. One of the advantages of segmented turning is that you are glueing up dry wood, so you don't have to go through the roughing out and re-turning procedures that you do with green wood. BUT there is a LOT of time spent in piecing together a blank. Not to mention designing it. There IS a lot less waste, though... Unless you count the chips you made, planing, jointing, table sawing...

I think Mike's reply is really good. I've done only a small amount of segmenting and never anything very elaborate. But the one thing I found goes back to the line I quoted from Mike, segmenting is really messy. Get yourself a work surface that is easy to clean the glue off of, like a large sheet of heavy glass. And get used to having lots of glue on your hands and everywhere you wipe them.

good morning roger: I have been segmenting for many many years. You are heading down the slippery slope!! The first book I always recommend is Woodturning with Ray Allen, by Nish. The reason is that this one has a large section that shows you how to build, piece by piece, the wild featurebands! It also has quite a few projects (and they are not sissy ones) with all the measurements for you. Also a great gallery of pieces to get your juices flowing!DSCN0709.jpg
Now as to tools, you can use an arm powered mitrebox if you have one. it will need a very nice blade. You can use your osbourne, but it will be hard to hold your wood strips and you may get kickback..maybe not. I use an incra with a sled, but I used a mitrebox for years. I would really suggest you don't rely on sanding to achieve your angles. Get it right when you cut it, and you can ignore the sander. I use a Freud 55.00 blade and it cuts well. One does not need a 100.00 blade. Your biggest hurdle will be the precision needed for PERFECT joints. You can't fudge here at all. they will show & look awful.
Hose clamps & i use a chuck for weight if I need it, but I rarely do. Just cinch up the hose clamp and whack the pieces down with a mallet if you have to. Your pieces should be all the same height, tho, and should flatten easily as you cinch up the row. Almost forgot..use good quality kiln dried wood/lumber...
If you have questions, Roger, send me a pm..I'll be happy to help. The piece I showed above was cut on a mitrebox and is 800+ pieces with my own original design. Give you something to strive for!!!

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